#129 Book Review: The Great Commission to Worship
Summary
The Great Commission to Worship is a book that blends two ideas together, that of the great commission and of worship. The book asks the question, “Which is the most important, the Great Commission or the Great Commandment–to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?” (5) The conclusion that The Great Commission to Worship offers is that those two things actually go hand in hand. The book uses many arguments to make their case, especially highlighting the effects and differences between this mode of thought and the traditional Christian approach. David and Vernon claim that the traditional approach is that the purpose of humanity is to worship God. While their mode of thought blends the call to worship God with the call to share Christ with the world. The book is an argument for their mode of thought based on the presumed results of their way of thinking. One of the claims of the book is that when we worship God it should have an effect on those around us. The authors ask, “How does my upward worship impact other people in my life?” (106). This claim is then backed up by a list of Scriptures that call us to action with others as a form of worship to God such as Ephesians 5:21 NIV “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Strengths
The main strength of The Great Commission to Worship is that it calls us to a higher purpose. It serves as a reminder of the purpose that God has created us; to worship, and it reminds us that God has given us the great commission. Chapter six and seven, “Great Commission Worship Is Relational” (94) are the most compelling. These chapters offer insight into the fact that Christian worship happens in many forms. That our worship must be in conjunction to our actions. Another key idea of the book is that great commission worship ought to be reproducible.
Weaknesses
The biggest weakness of The Great Commission to Worship is the central claim of the book. The claim that the great commission is equal to the call to worship God is not backed up by Scripture and is somewhat absurd. The authors have made several solid connections between the great commission and worship. Yet Worship still ought to be the central aim of the Christian life. The book goes about proving its claim in a way contrary to established methods. The idea that worship is central to the Christian life is backed by Scripture but argued against by the results of not making the great commission central. The authors seem to be more concerned with results than with what the Bible actually says. This can be seen in the premise of the book, “Which is the most important, the Great Commission or the Great Commandment–to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?” (5). The great commission is about outward actions while the great commandment is more about upward beliefs and practices. The differences between the focuses of these two ideas makes it hard to compare the relative importance of either idea. The claim that these two commands go hand in hand would have been better explored had they made the relation between the first and second great commandments of Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40. The second commandment “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:39 NASB is supportive of the great commission. That commandment, while being subservient to the first, backs up the claim that The Great Commission to Worship is trying to make, but in a more biblical way.
Quotations list
“Most people never consider that the Bible is a primarily a book about evangelism” (Chapter 1, 10) This quote shows how the authors failed to think through many of their claims. The Bible apart from the redemption story can be called many things, including a book about sin, or about relationships with God, or about history.
“Our understanding of how, why, when, and where we worship is a clear reflection of the kind of relationship we have with God” (Chapter 2, 27) This is a very true fact that deserves further examination by most Christians.
“Every believer receives a unique calling that serves something like a compass when making decisions” (Chapter 3, 45) I recognize this to be the case in my life and imagine the same is true for many others as well.
““I’ll follow Christ completely,” she explained, “after I have made it in the theatre”” (Chapter 4, 65) This seems to reflect the normative approach to Christianity among unbelievers. That Christianity is a burden which can be put off.
“God enriches our worship as we obey His sweet, loving, tender voice” (Chapter 5, 89) It is definitely easier to worship God when we see His goodness.
“Worship in the garden of Eden was perfect worship” (Chapter 6, 94) A curious idea that I want to consider further.
“How does my upward worship impact other people in my life?” (Chapter 7, 106) This reflects the main point of the book and touches on a real issue within Christianity.
“God’s ultimate desire has never changed from the moment He spoke the world into existence” (Chapter 8,125) This is something worth noting.
“Great Commission worship is reproducible” (chapter 9, 145) This may be true but that doesn’t necessarily make it good.
“It seems that indifference is not only accepted in the church, it is promoted as normal behavior” (Chapter 10, 149) There are ways in which this may be true and others not so much. We must be indifferent about some things, and we must really care about others.
“Without worship as the core, what is the point?” (Chapter 11, 171) The great commission loses all meaning when worship is removed from the equation.
“Remember, there are two powers in the earth, the power of God and the power of Satan, and there is eternal hostility between the two” (Chapter 12, 187) This is a false statement often echoed by Christians. There is only one power and that is God, Satan has some control but he doesn’t have power of his own, that would be dualism.
Lessons
Worship affects your life.
When we worship God it affects our life. When we worship God, we are not worshipping other things. Furthermore, when we worship God we keep our focus in the right direction. When we worship God we find peace in God.
When we worship we should remember to honor God in all areas of our life.
When we worship God the rest of our life matters. We cannot isolate worship from the other areas of our life. We must do what God desires at all times that we may worship Him well.
How we worship reflects our relationship with God.
How, when, and where we worship God reflects on our relationship with Him. Do you worship God when you are alone? Or only at Church? Is it for your enjoyment or God’s?
Remember to put God first.
Despite the things in this book that I disagreed with, I value the focus, the reminder to put God first. Worship and the great commission are two of the central tenets of the Christian life.
Bibliography
Wheeler, David and Vernon Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2011.
